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Monday, January 06, 2014

Carcillo welcomes trade to Rangers but not in tonight’s lineup; Lundqvist gets start in net

Dan Carcillo, fresh from a five-hour flight from the West Coast and still adjusting to New York time, participated in the Rangers’ full morning skate and stayed on to work with fellow healthy scratch Justin Falk and backup goalie Cam Talbot.

So tonight’s lineup for the Rangers against the Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden will be the same as Saturday night’s 7-1 win at Toronto, except Lundqvist will be back in net for Talbot. By the way, here’s today’s article in The Record on Talbot’s mindset as he consistently provides steady play despite stretches on the bench behind Lundqvist.

So Michael Del Zotto remains in the lineup, again, as mentioned, perhaps in an attempt to boost his game and showcase it for a potential trade, and J.T. Miller will also remain in with Derek Dorsett injured and Carcillo a healthy scratch. Carcillo’s Rangers’ debut might come Wednesday at Chicago after he won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Blackhawks in 2013.

“He brings an energy level, he brings a physical dimension that teams need,” coach Alain Vigneault said of Carcillo. “You need that greasy type player now and again to bring emotion and energy and grinding game to the forefront. I think Dan brings that. He’s done it in the past and obviously he’s not playing tonight, when we do need him, he’ll be a good player for us.

“Not necessarily,” Vigneault added when asked whether that element was missing with the Rangers. “I do think there are different ways to show toughness, being tough on the puck is one of them, getting the puck back is another. Dan the way he plays, finishing checks, always playing on the edge is another form of toughness and with Dorse going down probably for about six weeks, it’s a low-risk move for us and we’ll see what he can do for us.”

Carcillo, of course, has been fined or suspended by the NHL 10 times in his career. But he said this morning he has had to try to adjust his game to fit within the rules.

“It’s tough,” said Carcillo, who will wear his familiar No. 13 with the Rangers. “You look around, there’s a lot of guys getting suspended. It’s such a fast game, everything happens so quick. For guys like me, if you don’t play on that line then you’re not going to play, you have to provide energy every night and you’ve got to think a little bit more, which is a tough thing to do because it’s a game of reaction. I just try to keep my nose clear after the whistles and say sorry to the refs I’ve pissed off and play within the rules.”

But has he adjusted his game?

“No, I love losing money,” Carcillo said jokingly. “Of course, you make a bigger effort. You see numbers, even if it’s a questionable hit right now, you don’t make it, which is tough for guys in my position but I think coaches and management, everyone understands how the game is changing.”

Carcillo said he was surprised when Kings GM Dean Lombardi called him Saturday to inform him of the trade (Carcillo said he was out buying vegetables) but he welcomed the move because he was in and out of the Kings’ lineup.

Carcillo had one goal, one assist and 57 penalty minutes in 26 games for the Kings and played just five games in December. Last season, in the lockout-shortened schedule with the Blackhawks, Carcillo was limited to 23 games as he needed surgery prior to the season, then sprained his other knee in the opening game - in which he was used on Chicago’s top line - and missed an additional 15 games. He played in just four four postseason games in the Blackhawks’ run to the Cup.

The six-foot, 205-pound Carcillo, 28, who has also played for the Coyotes and Flyers (“No Marian Gaborik questions?” Carcillo said as the media group left his locker) has 41 goals, 48 assists and 1,136 penalty minutes in 359 career NHL games.

“The couple of years I spent there (in Chicago) were hard personally with the injuries and to try and come back from that,” Carcillo said. “I just held my head up high. The organization was great to me and obviously winning was a great experience. You’d like to have a bigger role, always, but it was what it was. This year, I started feeling like myself again and it’s been a couple of years. it’s encouraging to be able to move like I used to.”
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Posted by Andrew Gross on 01/06 at 07:16 PM

Ugh… This guy. Asham is so much better and way more respectable. I guess Asham’s back is that bad, huh?

Posted by Mike on 01/06 at 09:30 PM

not sure mike - asham has played lately but not sure if playing hurt like earlier

i would rather him or haley instead of carcillo

and i’d rather the current lineup at forward continue - they will tonight at least

Posted by JJ on 01/06 at 09:49 PM

Congratulations to former Rangers JAROMIR JAGR, MICHAL ROSZIVAL AND PETR NEDVED for being chosen to the Czech Olympic Team!

Hodni Stesti!

Posted by Mr. Ed on 01/06 at 10:44 PM

Mike, jj,

I agree. I just don’t want to see this guy in a ranger jersey. I know we need grit and muscle, but I don’t like having to get it this way. Beyond his classlessness is also the fact that he used to be a flyer. Shame.

Posted by Thewaitingisover! on 01/06 at 10:55 PM

I’m sure the 1st time he stands up to Martin or some other goon, most will be cheering

Seems to have a good sense of humor and a decent interview. Probably knows he was wrong about the gabby incident and may have learned a lesson about the code there, I hope.

Didn’t like the move at face value when I read it, but willing to give it a chance to work. Though, I hate that it gives the opportunity to call us Hippocrit if we complain about scumbags Cooke and Kaleta

I probably would have rather had Haley if we were going undersized tough guy role as he skates better and plays within the rules better. Or given new former 1st rounder beech a look see.

I liked asham last year, but his year Father Time seems to have caught up a bit in my limited viewing of his short stint and camp

Too bad Sandy Mccarthy can’t lace em up still.

Looks like 1mil per year for Colton Orr would have been worth it considering some of the other crap we spent money on.

Posted by Craig on 01/06 at 11:47 PM

Smart move by AV, gave Lundquest much needed confidence…
King will play his ass out.

Posted by kogan on 01/07 at 12:30 AM

Posted by Craig on 01/06 at 05:47 PM

First time he pulls a Kaleta or Cooke will be the last time he gets a pass here. Given the crap we’ve spent money on like you say, maybe we should have kept Prust despite his injury issues ... but this is all just hindsight. It’s not “easy” to find what we’re all looking for at $1-1.5m.

Posted by CJ on 01/07 at 12:53 AM

i might be the only arse hole who likes the carcillo trade, besides av & slats…

besides being “greasy” (per av) and a goombah, he will add some grit for the 4th line and make some teams uncomfortable when he’s in the lineup. he served that role last year with the hawks and did a ok job.

About

ANDREW GROSS covers the New York Rangers for The Record and Herald News, having joined the North Jersey Media Group in November 2007. Gross also covered the Rangers and New York Jets, as well as St. John’s basketball and Army football, for Gannett Newspapers and The Journal News (N.Y.). He graduated from Syracuse University in 1989 with a degree in newspaper journalism.